Ami's Awakening
by Gen-chan
Summary: With a terrifying enemy approaching the Moon Kingdom, the safety fo the Silver Millenium may depend on Princess Ami's acceptance of her senshi identity, but at the risk of her new-found love, will she be able to do what she must?
1. Chapter 1

1 Chapter 1  
  
The room lightened gradually as the sun peeked slowly over the horizon and creeped around the curtains. A warm beam of light fell across Ami's eyes, and she squeezed her eyes shut more tightly in her sleep. She stirred and moaned softly, turning over and pulling the covers up over her head. A brisk knock at her bed-chamber door woke her fully and her eyes fluttered open. The knock came again, this time accompanied by a muffled voice from the corridor.  
  
"Princess........Princess Ami, it is morning" came the kindly male voice.  
  
Ami closed her eyes again and turned over, burying her head under a pillow. "Five more minutes....." she said, drifting back into dreamworld." But the sound of the door opening drove away any hope of gaining some much needed extra rest.  
  
"Now now Princess, there is much to be done, and the sun has been above the horizon for a quarter-hour already."  
  
'What a pity' Ami thought sarcastucally, but forced herself to sit up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and watched as David pulled back the curtains. The sudden increase of light made her squint, and she clapped a hand over her eyes, falling back on the bed.  
  
"David, how much longer am I going to have to do this? I need more sleep." she said (or more appropriately whined).  
  
"But Princess, you get at least eight hours of sleep every night" replied David, walking towards the bed.  
  
"What's your point?" Ami grumbled, pulling the covers up over her head. David smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Ami," he said softly, slowly drawing back the covers. He couldn't help but chuckle at the scowl on her face. "You know that you have a responsibility to your kingdom, and its more important now than ever for you to be present at the Moon Kingdom, during these peace talks with the rebels from the edge of the galaxy." Ami's expression softened as David brushed her hair back from her face. "They'll only last a little longer, and I promise once they're finished you can sleep all day if you want." He kissed her forehead and stood up. "But for now," he said, raising his voice, "you must be up early enough to ready yourself and be at the moon kingdom in time for the beginning of the debates."  
  
Ami groaned, effectively playing the part of the reluctant teenager, but couldn't help smiling to herself when David's back was turned. She just couldn't resist when he talked to her like that. She sometimes wondered if she was really in love with him and not Zoisite. She supposed that in a way she was. They had been friends- best friends- since before she could remember. He had been the only man in her heart for so long, she imagined she would always love him in her own way. But Zoisite........well he was another story.  
  
David saw Ami smiling to herself in that secret way that told him who her thoughts were with. He sighed and, as he so often found himself doing, hid away his own feelings in the interest of Ami's happiness. He turned and favored her with the smile she loved so much, as usual his face not betraying the hurt that permeated his days and nights. He held up Ami's simple but elegant ice-blue gown, saying "Why don't you shower and dress, and I'll have breakfast brought up for you."  
  
Ami smiled the smile she saved only for him, and stood up, her long deep blue hair falling in a shining river across her back. She gave him a loving hug, then drew back to look him straight in the eye.  
  
"Thank you David. I don't know what I'd do without you." She smiled again, then whirled around and headed in the direction of the bathroom, leaving in her wake a trail of pain that she never noticed, and leaving behind a very hurt young man who could not find it in him to share his pain. 


	2. Chapter 2

1 Chapter 2  
  
As Ami's transport touched down on the Moon, she looked out the small circular window by her seat to see Princess Serenity already running to meet her. 'Very un-princesslike...' thought Ami with a smile. She was followed closely behind by Makoto, Minako, and Rei, though they preferred to laugh at Serenity making a spectacle of herself rather than join her. The transport came to a stop and Ami jumped from her seat, intending to run to her friends and be just as "un-princesslike" as Serenity. This would be the first time in months that the five of them had been together. The peace talks had begun days ago, but for one reason or another at least one of them had always been missing. Only Ami and Serenity had been there every day. But now they were a group again, and she intended to make the very best of it.  
  
"Amiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Serenity as she stepped out of the transport and onto the kingdom of the moon. Ami met her with a hug, and laughed into her hair.  
  
"Serenity, I just saw you yesterday!" she laughed, detaching herself from Serenity's arms and waving at her other friends, greeting them with hugs as well.  
  
"I know, but I'm just so excited to have all of you here together again." replied Serenity, gracing all of them with a wide smile.  
  
Ami looked at her friends standing together, and felt happier than she had been in months. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed them. Now, even though she was away from her kingdom, she felt like she was home.  
  
The five friends linked arms and walked happily back to the palace, chatting and catching up on each other's lives. They all had so much to talk about, Ami almost forgot about why she was there. That is, until Queen Serenity walked out of the palace to greet them.  
  
"Welcome again to our home, Princess Ami of Mercury" she said regally, extending a finely boned hand. Ami took it and curtseyed, lightly touching her lips to her hand.  
  
"Thank you my Queen, I am grateful for your hospitality." she replied as she straightened. The two stood looking at each other for a moment in silence, then Queen Serenity's mouth broke into a smile, and the two began laughing like old friends. They had always gotten along, Ami being far more intelligent than her years. The Queen took her arm and led her into the palace, her four friends following closely, smiling knowingly at Ami's intelligence and joining in the conversation.  
  
As they reached the conference chamber, they were greeted by the twin sisters Faith and Hope, the Queen's diplomatic officials. They seemed very excited by something, and Ami wasn't the only one who noticed; next to her Queen Serenity visibly tensed, preparing herself for the possible bad news.  
  
"Ah, ladies, what is it?" she asked, keeping her curiosity out of her voice.  
  
"My lady, the rebels have accepted your plea for peace!" replied Faith, excitement creeping into her normally calm voice. "While you were gone a messenger arrived with the signed treaty from the rebel planet. Its over!"  
  
Princess Serenity squealed and hugged her friends, jumping up and down. "This is great! Now we can spend our time together having fun instead of going to those boring peace talks!" she said, grabbing her friends by the arms and dragging them behind her down the hall to her room.  
  
"Queen Serenity," said Ami after tearing herself away from Serenity's grip and promising to join them momentarily "Did the rebels really surrender to your conditions?"  
  
The Queen smiled, holding a rolled-up piece of parchment in her hand. "Well this signed treaty that Hope has showed me seems to verify it. Everything looks in order, I can see no reason to doubt its authenticity." She unrolled the parchment to show Ami the signatures at the bottom. They seemed legitimate.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to seem doubtful, but that just seemed too easy. I had expected the debates to continue for at least another week before we would be able to resolve this." said Ami, bowing slightly.  
  
"I know, I thought the same" replied the Queen.  
  
"As did we," added Hope, who seemed to have her emotions more in check than Faith. "But we can see no reason to think that the treaty is false. The rebels must have simply had a change of heart and realized the error of their ways."  
  
"Yes I suppose you are right......" said Ami distantly, then shook her head as if clearing her mind of some unpleasant thought. "I guess I'm just being paranoid." She smiled. "Well if you would excuse me, I'd like to join my friends now. Ladies, Queen," she said, curtseying then running to catch up with the others.  
  
The Queen watched her leave, then turned to the sisters. "She's so conscious of our situation and the way things work. She will make a wonderful queen when she comes of age." The sisters nodded and followed their queen as she walked into the study, intending to follow her daughter's example by enjoying a cup of tea and some snacks with her two dear friends and enjoy the first real peace any of them had experienced in months. It felt good to have no worries for once in her life.  
  
Elsewhere in the galaxy, a dark mass was slowly growing, encompassing the rebel planet and ridding it of light and good. It was here that the darkness gained a voice, and here that it found the seeds of its evil already planted in the hearts of many. Now it rested, slowly increasing its hold on the people of the small planet, gathering the power it needed to attack. 


	3. Chapter 3

1 Chapter 3  
  
Princess Serenity's receiving chamber was filled with chatter as the five friends shared stories of the past few months, laughing over each others' mishaps and gushing about their relationships with the Generals from Earth.  
  
"I haven't seen Kunzite in so long....." pouted Minako, resting her chin in her hand. "Everything was so wonderful, until those rebels from the outer reaches started causing problems. He left to help quiet things down on that planet, and I haven't heard from him since."  
  
"Nephrite's there too," added Makoto, a wistful expression on her face.  
  
"Aren't they all there?" asked Ami thoughfully. "I thought I remembered Zoisite saying that they were all being sent there by the Prince the last time I talked to him........." her voice trailed off as she thought of that last night, and the warmth of Zoisite's arms wrapped around her..........  
  
"Serenity, did Endymion say anything to you about sending his generals to the rebel planet?" asked Rei.  
  
"Well...yes I think I remember him saying that he was sending them in his place so he could stay on earth and watch over Elysion." replied Serenity. She paused to stuff a danish into her mouth and gulp down some tea, then smiled at the four girls. "I remember because since he was staying on Earth he would be able to come to the ball this weekend, so I was excited."  
  
"Well since the rebellion is over and the treaty has been signed, there should be no more use for them and they should return in a couple days," said Minako cheerfully "Right?"  
  
"I think so," replied Ami thoughtfully "I can't see any reason for them to stay longer." She smiled. "I think that when they return we should have a welcoming party for them. That way the ten of us can all be together."  
  
Serenity stopped stuffing her face and smiled wildly. "Oh Ami, that's a wonderful idea! Lets start planning it!!!! Come on guys, we should have food, and music, and we could even invite the rest of the people of the moon and make it a grand ball!"  
  
"Hey, why don't we turn the ball that's happening this weekend into their welcoming party?" said Rei excitedly. "It was only a social event anyway, so lets give it a purpose! I can get a special group of musicians together from home to play when they arrive." She flipped the black waterfall of her hair over her shoulder. "After all, music is my specialty."  
  
"That's a great idea!" replied Makoto "I'll work with the cooks back home and prepare some wonderful food for the occasion!"  
  
"And Serenity and I can take care of the decorations!" added Minako "It will be wonderful!"  
  
"And," said Serenity quietly with a devious smile, "They'll never expect it!" She slipped her hand through Ami's arm and nudged her. "How could they ever resist such thoughtful, caring, and surprising young women?" She giggled.  
  
Ami laughed. "I'll do whatever I can to help. I really think they will enjoy this." she thought for a moment. "You know, David is an expert on pyrotechnics, maybe I can work with him to create a fireworks show for the beginning of the ball to welcome them home."  
  
"Oh Ami, that's just perfect!!!!" squealed Serenity. "I can't wait! Come on, let's get to work!"  
  
The girls sat in a circle and traded ideas, planning a gala celebration such as the Silver Millennium had never seen before. But even as she laughed and planned with the others, Ami's thoughts were elsewhere, and her mind was filled with Zoisite's face saying goodbye that last night.  
  
~~~'I'll return to you, I promise' he had said, his blue eyes piercing through to her soul. He had looked at her in a way that made her heart flutter, in a way that she would never be able to describe to another person. 'And no matter what, I will keep you in my heart.'  
  
'As I will keep you in mine,' she had answered, and then he had kissed her, a wonderful, sweet kiss such as she had never even dreamed about. As he walked away, she could still feel his lips on hers, and she silently blew him a kiss in return, her heart full to bursting with a sensation she had never felt before. That night her dreams had been filled with him, and that kiss had replayed over and over in her mind until she imagined that time had stopped. When she awoke the next morning, she was in love.~~~  
  
"What do you think Ami...........Ami?" Rei's voice broke into her thoughts and shook her from her reverie.  
  
"What..........what did you say, I'm sorry......" she said as she raised herself out of her memories.  
  
"Hey are you ok?" asked Minako, concern evident in her voice.  
  
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Ami replied, smiling "I was just thinking about how much our men will love this."  
  
Serenity hugged her. "Of course they will. And then they will be ours forever!"  
  
Ami sighed and smiled.  
  
'Forever......................' 


	4. Chapter 4

1 Chapter 4  
  
"David? David, I'm back," Ami called as she walked back into her palace. As much as she loved being with her friends, she was always glad to come home. "David, are you here?"  
  
"I am here, Princess....." came the familiar voice from the library.  
  
"Oh David, wait until you hear what we've planned to do for Zoisite and the others when they come home," she said excitedly as she walked into the library. "We're going to throw a big celebration for them, with music and dancing and wonderful food that Makoto will cook, and I said you'd help me put together a fireworks show for the beginning of the ball...............David, what is it?" It had only lasted for an instant, but in that instant Ami had seen such pain in David's usually laughing brown eyes.......what could be causing him to hurt so much? "Are you alright?"  
  
"But of course Princess....." replied David, walking towards her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "What could ever be wrong? I am just happy to see you home safely again."  
  
Ami looked up into his eyes, searching for a trace of the pain that she had seen there. "If something were wrong, you would tell me wouldn't you?" she asked.  
  
David looked back into her ice-blue eyes, and almost told her...he wanted to so badly........but he couldn't. He simply caressed her cheek and led her into her bed-chamber. "Of course I would Princess. Haven't I always?"  
  
"Yes..........."said Ami hesitantly, then she smiled. "I guess I'm just being silly. I know you'd tell me if something was wrong." She kissed his cheek and looked at him again. "But will you help me? It would mean so much to me and the others..........and to Zoisite and the other Generals........" this last she said more softly, and blushed slightly. When David saw this, he felt like a knife was being driven through his heart, but he managed to smile and hide his pain.  
  
"Of course I will, Ami. I'll do anything to help you out, just like always"  
  
"Oh thank you David, I knew I could count on you." Ami hugged him and smiled. "I'll never be able to repay you for this....."  
  
"Think nothing of it, darling. Now you go and get some sleep. It's late and we will have much work to do tomorrow to prepare for this ball of yours." He smiled winningly and gently pushed her towards her bed.  
  
"Alright David, I will see you in the morning."  
  
David walked to the door, then turned around. "Goodnight Princess.........." he hesitated as if he were about to say something else, then thought better of it and closed the door behind him. He walked back to the library alone, sat down at the table, and buried his face in his hands, his whole being aching with the feel of Ami's arms around him, longing to be lying next to her, to be the one who she thought of and at night, to be the one she loved. But he wasn't, and he knew it. He had shed so many tears over Ami that he had none left to cry, and still the pain was there.  
  
He raised his head and stared out the window at the darkening night sky. Why did he torture himself like this? She would never love him, not the way he wanted her to. So why did he continue to make himself miserable by pursuing her? If he couldn't tell her, and she would never know, then why try? He made up his mind. He needed to get Ami out of his mind, out of his soul, and out of his heart, and the only way he could do that was to distance himself from her. He looked out the door and toward her bed chamber where he could almost see her sitting at her dresser, brushing her beautiful long black hair and thinking about him, and he sobbed once, just once, allowing himself a last tear before he got up and shut the door. 


	5. Chapter 5

1 Chapter 5  
  
Ami awoke of her own volition the next morning, somewhat surprised that David hadn't knocked on her door as he did every morning. She looked at the clock near her bed and gasped when she saw what time it was.  
  
"My goodness its nearly noon! Why hasn't David come in to wake me?" she wondered, getting out of bed and pulling on a white housecoat over her blue night gown. Tying the belt around her waist she walked over to the door and opened it, entering into the chilly corridor beyond. She shivered a little, wrapping her arms around herself, and walked down the corridor to the sitting room. As she neared the room she thought she heard rustling papers and the "clink clink" of a spoon stirring a cup of coffee. She walked through the door and at first thought she had only been imagining the sounds, seeing no one. Then, in the corner, she saw a chair turned away from the door and facing the hearth where a weak-looking fire crackled and popped quietly.  
  
"David is that you?" she asked, taking a step towards the chair.  
  
"Of course Princess, who else would it be," David answered, his voice steely cold.  
  
Ami approached the chair and walked around it so that she stood in front of David. She knelt down in front of him and looked into his eyes. They had lost their usual warmth, and after an instant he lowered them from her gaze instead of holding it as he usually did.  
  
"David…..is something wrong?" Ami asked, suddenly feeling as if this man was a stranger. He bore almost no resemblance to the man she knew and loved except in appearance. Even there, he seemed different, his usually expressive eyes cold and unfeeling, his face locked in an unreadable expression.  
  
"No Princess, everything is fine." He replied, and held up several sheets of paper. "Actually I have just finished the plans for you fireworks display for the ball, so you will not have to trouble yourself over it and won't bother me today." He said coldly, handing the sheets to her. Ami accepted them but didn't even glance at them, her eyes fixed on his face, an expression of mixed shock and sadness betrayed on her face.  
  
"David what are you talking about? I thought we were going to do this together……."  
  
"Well perhaps I have other things to do! Perhaps I no longer wish to spend every waking moment with you!" David snapped, standing up and walking a few steps away from her. His back turned, he allowed his rigid composure to drop for an instant, his face showing the immense grief that invaded his heart. 'Oh goddess this hurts….' He thought, praying to the deity of their planet for strength.  
  
Ami looked at David, tears welling up in her eyes. 'What has happened to him?' she wondered to herself. 'Why is he pushing me away?' She stood up and walked over to him, touching his shoulder.  
  
"David….."  
  
"Leave me alone!" he roared, slapping her hand away and whirling around. His eyes were blazing. "I told you, I no longer wish to be with you all the time! You are a grown woman, you can handle being alone can you not?" he said sarcastically.  
  
Ami held her hand as if she had been stung. "But David…..why? What's happened to you? We've been friends for so long…….why?" she asked, her eyes pleading, tears running down her cheeks.  
  
"That time is passed," David said, turning angrily. Then, the pain now fully evident in his voice, he said "I am not your friend Ami. Not anymore." With that he ran out of the room, dashing through the door and slamming it behind him, retreating to his own bed-chamber in the corner of the palace, tears overflowing from his eyes and running down his face, leaving Ami standing alone in the sitting room, shivering despite the fire crackling on the hearth. 


	6. Chapter 6

1 Chapter 6  
  
"I….I don't know what happened…" Ami sobbed, covering her face with her hands. Princess Serenity put a comforting arm around her shoulders and looked at the others, an expression of concern on her face.  
  
"Try to remember Ami…" Minako said softly "Did anything happen between you two that could have made him so angry?"  
  
Ami shook her head. "No, nothing. He was fine the night before…..he was smiling and happy, just as he always was….." she said, her voice shaking slightly. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and sighed, a heavy, sorrowful sigh. "I've never seen him like that before…….he's never been so angry…..and just before he left he sounded as if he was being ripped apart inside……his voice was so sad…." A single tear ran down her cheek as the sound of his voice replayed again in her head. She looked at Serenity with grief-stricken eyes. "I don't understand why this is happening…….we've always been the best of friends…..we grew up together, we've shared everything……….why would he turn me away like that? Why?"  
  
Serenity took the handkerchief from her friend and wiped the last of her tears away, then hugged her. "I don't know Ami, but we'll figure it out. I can't imagine that David would just throw away so many years of friendship so easily." She pulled back and looked at her friend, a comforting smile on her face. "Now cheer up, lets go get some sweets and try and figure out how to solve this, ok?"  
  
Ami smiled despite her sadness and nodded. "Let me just go to the bathroom and clean up a little first," she said.  
  
"Go ahead, meet us in the kitchen when you are done," Serenity replied, and watched as Ami disappeared into the bathroom. Once the door was closed, she beckoned to the others and they began walking down the corridor towards the kitchen, holding up their skirts and whispering.  
  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Makoto said.  
  
"David's in love with Ami," said Minako, voicing what was in all of their heads.  
  
Serenity nodded in agreement. "Just what I was thinking. But Ami probably doesn't have a clue. You heard her, she obviously only thinks of him as a friend…………and we all know she is in love with Zoisite….."  
  
They turned a corner and reached the kitchen, taking seats around the large table. Serenity immediately headed for the cupboards, knowing exactly where her mother hid all the sweets. With a little cry of triumph she pulled two jars full of cookies from the shelves and set them down on the table, wasting no time in uncovering them and taking several for herself. Popping one into her mouth, she munched thoughtfully for a moment, then swallowed and looked around at the dejected faces of her friends.  
  
"Do…you think we should tell her?" she asked  
  
"I don't know……" Rei said, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "Maybe it would help if she knew, but that might cause a problem between her and Zoisite."  
  
"How so?" Minako asked, taking a cookie for herself.  
  
"She's right," Makoto said. "What if Ami decides she actually loves David, just because he loves her? You know as well as I do that she isn't used to having men take an interest in her. If she knew there were two, she'd get so confused she wouldn't know who she really was in love with. And we all know that is Zoisite. Plus, she is the only one of us who doesn't know yet who she really is. She doesn't have the understanding of these things yet that we got when we found out."  
  
The others nodded solemnly, then fell silent as they all pondered the situation.  
  
"Perhaps it would be best if we spoke to David himself…." Minako said thoughtfully.  
  
Rei looked at her. "But what in the world could we say to him that would make him feel any better? Something tells me he is beyond consolation."  
  
Minako sighed. "I don't know, I guess….." she said, biting into her cookie. "But I don't know what else we can do….."  
  
Just then Ami walked into the room, and the four friends quickly ended their conversation. Serenity got up and walked over to her, touching her shoulder.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice anxious.  
  
Ami sighed. "Yes, I am alright I suppose……I just wish I knew why he was acting this way…" she said, taking a seat at the table as the others exchanged knowing looks.  
  
"Ami, are you sure he hadn't acted strangely at all before this morning?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Yes I'm positive…" she began, then stopped as a thought struck her.  
  
~~~David turned around and Ami started. It was only there for an instant, but in that instant she had seen such intense pain in his eyes……….But a moment later it was gone and he was smiling at her warmly again.  
  
"David is anything wrong?" she asked, worry in her voice.  
  
"Of course not princess, everything is fine…………………."~~~  
  
"Oh my goodness………" Ami said softly.  
  
"Ami?" Serenity said worriedly. "Ami what is it?"  
  
But before she had a chance to answer, Queen Serenity walked in, a look of anxiety on her face. The princess looked up and started at the look on her mother's face.  
  
"Mama? Mama what is it?" she asked, walking over to her.  
  
"Frankly dear, I am not certain. I think your services are needed, ladies," she said seriously, and turned to leave the room again. "Follow me, please."  
  
The five friends looked at each other in confusion, then got up to follow their Queen out of the room and down the hall, into a part of the palace none of them had seen before. 


	7. Chapter 7

1 Chapter 7  
  
"Mama where are we going?" Serenity asked, almost having to run to keep up with the Queen's brisk pace.  
  
"To the palace scanning rooms. I want to show you girls something." She said tersely, turning a corner and stopping in front of a large, arched doorway. Placing her palm on a panel next to the door, she uttered something none of them could hear, and the door slowly slid open. "Come, this way," she said, and took off again into the darkness beyond the door. The princess linked arms nervously and entered the darkness, unsure of where they were being led. Suddenly a light was turned on ahead, and they could see the silhouette of the queen in a brightly lit doorway.  
  
"Do hurry girls, there is no time to dawdle. This is serious."  
  
The girls obeyed and hurried through the door into the room beyond, and jumped slightly as the door slid shut with a bang behind them. When they turned back to look at the room, they saw Faith and Hope leaning over what looked like some sort of computer screen, the queen standing next to them with an expectant look on her face.  
  
"Over here girls. You should see this." She said, her voice tense. The five girls crowded around the screen, looking over the two sisters' shoulders.  
  
"A radar screen?" Ami said, looking at the two sisters.  
  
"Sort of. This device monitors the activity of dark energy in our galaxy. Since the rebels were brought under control, the balance has been under control as well, the good energy in the galaxy at a level which was more than enough to keep everyone safe. But look here…." Hope said, pointing at a certain spot on the screen. Beneath her finger was a rather small dot of bright red, which seemed to be growing slightly.  
  
"What is that?" Minako asked softly. Just then Rei cried out, and everyone looked over at her. She stood back a few paces, holding her head in her hands, her eyes wide, sweat dripping down her face.  
  
"The darkness……is coming……..Queen Serenity we have to stop it!" she exclaimed, turning horrified eyes to the Queen. She walked over to her, reaching out a shaking hand to touch her arm. "When….when Hope touched the screen…..I got a terrifying vision…….of a burning palace……and people, thousands of people screaming in agony……oh my Queen what is that?"  
  
Queen Serenity turned solemn eyes to the screen, gently brushing Rei's hair back behind her ears. "That, my dear princesses, is the rebel planet that supposedly surrendered to us. It has become saturated with dark energy, and the darkness is spreading. Your intuition was correct, Princess Ami," she said, looking at the Mercurian princess. "The surrender was too easily gained. They must have been lying to us, and have been building their fighting power all this time."  
  
Ami looked at the Queen, then back at the screen thoughtfully. "But……. that doesn't make sense….." she said. "Hope, you said that the balance of good and evil had stabilized immediately after the surrender, didn't you?" Hope nodded. "Well that couldn't have happened if they were building up their power. If anything the balance would have been upset further, but it certainly wouldn't have stabilized. Something else must have happened, someone or something has taken over that planet. But what could it be?" she wondered.  
  
The other girls looked at each other, then to the Queen. She nodded, knowing their thoughts. "Yes, I am afraid I know who that someone is. It must be Queen Metallia."  
  
Ami looked at her in confusion. "Who is Queen Metallia?" she asked.  
  
The Queen sighed. "She was my ally once. She was the Queen of the Moon in a neighboring galaxy, long before any of you were born." She said, looking at the princesses. "But she wanted things for this universe that would have caused more trouble than good. She let her power corrupt what was once a good heart, and soon led a revolt against me and our galaxy for opposing her. Those rebels at the edge of the galaxy were probably the last remnants of her campaign. Your parents aided me in driving her forces back and in setting up a shield that would keep her out of our galaxy forever, and we cut off all ties with her. But she must have found a way to break through the shield, and take over a planet that was still susceptible to her dark energy." She looked at the radar screen, where the dot which had been only the size of the head of a pin had grown to nearly three times that size. "Now she is stronger and is spreading back into our galaxy. This could be big trouble."  
  
Suddenly Minako cried out. "Wait! If she has taken over the rebel planet, then……." She stopped, afraid to say what she was thinking. The Queen walked over to her, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.  
  
"What is it?" she asked softly.  
  
Minako looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "Kunzite and the other generals were there! What if something happened to them?"  
  
The other girls gasped, and tears appeared in Ami's eyes. 'Oh no…..Zoisite………my love…..' she thought, sorrow once again threatening to over whelm her. She shook the feeling off and looked at the Queen. "You said our services could be helpful, my Queen…" she said. "How can we help?"  
  
The other girls exchanged looks of understanding, knowing what it meant for them. Queen Serenity walked over to her intelligent friend and placed her hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with solemn eyes.  
  
"I had wanted for you to discover this for yourself, dear Princess of Mercury, but I am afraid I have no choice." She pulled out what looked like a pen, but had a star on the top with her planet's symbol in the center. "Ami…..you are one of the legendary sailor senshi destined to guard this galaxy. The others are senshi also, but they discovered this on their own. For reasons unknown to me, your time to know never came, and so I am telling you myself. I need you……this galaxy needs you……to drive Metallia's dark energy out of our galaxy as your parents did so many years ago, but this time for good." 


	8. Chapter 8

1 Chapter 8  
  
Ami looked at the queen in confusion, then at her friends. They stood close together, looking at her. Her eyes met Serenity's, and the princess nodded.  
  
"No……that can't be true…….No it isn't true!" she said, almost shouting. "How can I be a senshi? I am a princess, not a warrior! I don't know the first thing about fighting, I have no strength!"  
  
"Yes you do," said Serenity, stepping forward. "You have the strength of your planet. You're powers will come from its energy. You have only to learn how to use them as we did." She said, gesturing to the others, who nodded. Ami shook her head, raising a shaking hand to her forehead.  
  
"No……….no I don't believe it….I won't believe it! Its not true!" she shouted, then ran from the room, the door sliding open automatically as she approached it. Serenity made a move to follow her, but her mother's hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up at her mother with eyes full of worry.  
  
"Mama…."  
  
"Let her go. She will come to accept it in time," the queen said gently as Serenity turned her eyes to watch as Ami disappeared through the doorway that led back into the main palace and the door slid closed behind her. "Don't forget how hard it was for all of you when you first found out." The four remaining princesses bowed their heads, remembering how they had struggled with the awesome responsibility of being a sailor senshi at first, recognizing what Ami was feeling. The Queen turned back to the radar screen where Hope and Faith stood watching them silently. Leaning on the screen, she shook her head slowly as she watched the growing spot of red on the screen. "Let us all just pray to whatever powers there are that she accepts it soon. We will need her, and we do not have much time."  
  
Ami ran into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. She leaned up against it, sliding down into a sitting position on the floor as the tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. It was to much for her to bear. To have her dearest friend turn on her for no apparent reason was bad enough, but now to discover that she had this awesome responsibility to this entire galaxy……and to know that her friends, the people she was supposed to be able to trust beyond all others, had known and had kept it from her…….she couldn't handle it all.  
  
Folding her legs underneath her in a more comfortable position, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and thought deeply about what she had been just been told. If she was really a senshi, why didn't she know? Why did "her time to know" never come, and the others' did? What did that mean? And how could she possibly hope to defend and protect an entire galaxy when she couldn't even handle the pressures of her own kingdom? It was impossible, it was illogical, it just couldn't be!  
  
If only she knew what was wrong with David……if she was really senshi he would know for sure. Once again she saw his eyes full of pain in her head, heard his voice that morning…….something was causing him immense pain, and for some reason he wouldn't tell her what it was. She wanted to go to him and take him in her arms and comfort him as he had done for her so many times in the past, but she was afraid he would only push her away again.  
  
She remained perfectly still for a moment, thinking. Then suddenly resolute, she stood up and unlocked the door, opening it and walking with determination down the corridor.  
  
Serenity and the others left the room after strategizing with the Queen, trying to think of a way to counter Metallia's advance. But they soon realized it would be useless without their fifth senshi. Queen Serenity had spoken of a special power that could have the ability to destroy Metallia for good, but it required all five senshi. They just had to make Ami understand.  
  
As the walked out into the main hallway Serenity saw a familiar figure walking away from them.  
  
"Ami?" she said softly, then took off running after her. "Ami! Where are you going?"  
  
The others looked at each other, then took off running after their friends, finally catching up to Serenity as she caught up to Ami.  
  
"Ami? Why won't you answer me?" Serenity asked anxiously, grabbing Ami's arm. Ami just shrugged her off and kept walking, staring silently ahead. She walked briskly through the main door and straight to her transport.  
  
"What is going on?" said Makoto, looking at Ami strangely.  
  
"I don't know…..Ami wait!" Serenity shouted, running after Ami again as the transport door closed and it began to lift off the ground. They ran to stand beneath it and stood looking up as it lifted into space and disappeared, shielding their faces with their arms from the wind it produced. Serenity lowered her arm as the transport disappeared.  
  
"Oh Ami….." she said softly. 


	9. Chapter 9

1 Chapter 9  
  
On the rebel planet, a dark fortress had erected itself in the exact center of the planet's busiest city, radiating black energy into the surrounding atmosphere and into the planet underneath, turning the air, the ground, the plants, everything a dreary gray. Inside the fortress was a throne room constructed completely of black crystal, within which a woman in shadow sat on a black crystal throne. She smiled, and her fangs caught the light, sparkling in the otherwise dark room. Before her four figures knelt, heads bowed, all wearing identical uniforms and capes, black swords hanging from their hips. The woman cackled, and the four figures looked up.  
  
"Your time has come to fight, my fine generals……" she said, her voice deep, yet almost sweet. She held a deep purple orb in her clawed fingers, and she moved her hands over it, caressing it lovingly. An image of Queen Serenity and the five princesses appeared within it, and the four generals at her feet gazed at it in awe. "Queen Serenity and her pathetic senshi know what we are planning, but we still hold the upper hand." The image in the orb changed, zooming in to Ami's face. "This, the fifth senshi, does not yet know how to use her powers. Without the fifth senshi, the others are powerless against me. As a group, they have the power to defeat us, but as long as their team remains incomplete, we will prevail!" She smiled at the four generals, who still gazed into the orb. "Look upon and learn this face well, my loyal soldiers. You are to find this girl, and destroy her. Do not fail me!" she shouted, the orb leaving her grasp and moving to float before the four generals as they stood up, bowing their heads.  
  
"We will do as you wish, my queen," said Kunzite as the other generals gathered behind him, kneeling behind their leader. Zoisite looked up at the face in the orb, feeling oddly confused for an instant.  
  
Something about that girl……..she seemed so familiar………  
  
Metallia noticed Zoisite wavering, and reached into the depths of his memory, past the block which she had placed there herself in order to keep him under her control. She caught a glimpse of Zoisite holding Ami in his arms, and chuckled, pushing the memory even farther back.  
  
"I have changed my mind." She said, making a motion with one hand. The orb floated back to her and she caught it with her other hand, looking into it with a wry smile. She turned it this way and that, then looked at Zoisite. "Zoisite, this will be your mission alone. Destroy this girl, to prove your loyalty to me."  
  
Zoisite stood, all traces of recognition gone, He clasped a hand at is chest and bowed his head. "Yes my queen, I will gladly do your bidding." With that he took the edge of his cape in one hand and wrapped it around himself, phasing out of sight. Metallia cackled, watching his travels in her orb.  
  
"What a lovely little show this will be….." she said, and laughed insanely as the other generals knelt once more in submission to their master. 


	10. Chapter 10

1 Chapter 10  
  
As soon as Ami's transport touched ground, she was out the door and running towards the main door of the palace. She burst through the door, sending it crashing against the wall as she ran down the corridor.  
  
"David? David where are you? Please answer me!" she called, running from room to room. The palace was almost deserted, because most of her servants had gone home for the weekend. Usually David took care of everything while they were gone, but things looked in disarray in every room, as if nothing had been touched since the rush to leave in the morning.  
  
"From the look of things he hasn't done anything since I left…….oh David where are you?" she thought desperately. Then it hit her. "His bedchamber, of course!" she said to herself, and took off running down the corridor towards the familiar room in the far corner of the palace. As she rounded a corner she saw the door ahead of her, and as she reached it she pressed her ear against it for a moment, listening. From within she could hear the sound of soft, strangled weeping. Stepping back, looking at the door with wide eyes, she gathered her courage and knocked hesitantly on the door.  
  
"Please, just leave me be……." came the muffled voice, heavy with grief.  
  
"David……David please let me in……."Ami called, pressing her hands against the familiar wood panels of the door. "I just want to speak with you……..please it is important!"  
  
At first there was only silence, then the sound of a chair being scrped back on the flor and slow footsteps towards the door. Ami stepped back as she heard his hand on the latch, throwing the bolt back and just barely opening it. When the door didn't open any further, Ami pressed gently on it and it swung open easily. She took a step inside, and stopped when she saw David standing his back turned to her, leaning on one hand on his desk, the other covering his face. She hesitated, almost able to feel the pain radiating from him.  
  
"Well……….what is it………." He said weakly, his voice betraying his sorrow. "Say what you have to say and then let me alone…."  
  
"David, I……….." Ami began, then stopped herself. She walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, turning him around to face her. He shrank away from her and covered his face with his hands, trying to hide the anguish written on his face. She bit her lip slightly, then reached up and took his hands in her own, lowering them. He remained looking at the floor, his shoulders beginning to shake with silent sobs. A single tear fell sparkling to the ground, followed by another, then another. Ami's felt her heart ripped in two at the sight of her friend in such pain. What could be causing this?  
  
"David……won't you tell me why you suffer so?" she pleaded softly. She touched two fingers beneath his chin and raised his face so that she could meet his eyes, and gasped. The pain she saw there was unimaginable. "Oh David what is it that is hurting you?"  
  
He was silent, gazing desperately into her eyes for some trace of the love he wanted, needed, so badly. At first, all he could see was pain and sadness, and great concern. Then, for an instant, he thought he saw it. 'Could it be?' he thought, a ray of hope breaking through his grief. 'Is it possible?'  
  
Then, in the next instant, it was gone, and he fell into despair.  
  
'It is impossible…….I must have imagined it……I know who her heart is with and…….it isn't me……what a fool I am, to think she would ever love me……'  
  
"I…….I cannot tell you, princess….." he said aloud, turning away. "I wish I could……."  
  
"Why can't you????" Ami asked desperately. "You've always told me everything, why won't you tell me this?"  
  
"You don't understand Ami….." he said, anger creeping into his voice. "This is different."  
  
"How is it different?" she asked, shouting now.  
  
"Do not press me!" he shouted back, whirling around. His eyes were blazing, but when he saw the hurt in hers, the fires died. He sank back wearily against the wall, covering his eyes with his hand. "Forgive me princess……..please, forgive me….." he took his hand away and looked at her earnestly. "I knew not what I was saying, what I was doing……..I was not thinking….."  
  
Ami turned away, trembling. "I……..it is of no matter David. I will not force you to tell me if you feel you cannot…." She said, her heart aching as she said the words. Suddenly she whirled around and looked him in the eyes, her own desperate. "Only tell me this……..is it true what Queen Serenity said? Am I a senshi?" 


	11. Chapter 11

1 Chapter 11  
  
David looked at her, confused and at the same time grateful for the change of subject. He hesitated, looking away for a moment, then turned back to meet her searching gaze.  
  
"Well…….yes, Princess. It is true what she says. You are one of the legendary senshi entrusted to guard this galaxy, and especially this planet. Your title is Sailor Mercury, the senshi of ice."  
  
Ami staggered slightly, reaching behind her, fumbling for something to lean on. Her hand found the edge of the desk and she gripped it tightly, holding herself upright. She looked at him, her eyes wide.  
  
"David…..if you knew this, why did you never tell me?" she asked, overwhelmed by the responsibility she now knew was hers.  
  
David sighed. "I was instructed by your parents not to tell you. Before they died, they told me your secret. They knew your fate, but they ordered me never to tell you for you were to learn of it on your own. I had no choice but to keep it from you, I swore a solemn oath to them not to betray the truth to you before the time was right."  
  
"Why would my parents do such a thing? Why would they keep the truth from me?" Ami asked, tears rolling down her face.  
  
"Because there was no need for you to know Ami." David said, looking at her earnestly. "They said when it was necessary, and only then, you would find out. And it would appear that time has come."  
  
Ami was silent, sliding down to a sitting position on the floor, her eyes glazed over as she gazed inwardly at the self she had never known existed. 'So it is true……..I am a sailor senshi…..a guardian…..a soldier………how can I be? I am not strong enough…….I don't know how to use my power…….I have no power…..'  
  
David looked at her with concern. He slowly walked over to her and knelt beside her, touching her gently. "Ami? Are you alright?"  
  
Ami started out of her thoughts and looked at David in confusion. Then, in an avalanche of emotion, she wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed into his chest, releasing all of her fears and insecurities all at once. David froze for an instant, then gently wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently. He stroked her long soft hair and rested his cheek against her head, letting her cry.  
  
'If only I could hold her like this forever…..' he thought with a mixture of grief and happiness. It was like heaven to have her in his arms, to hold her tight. If only it could last………  
  
Finally, when she seemed calm, he drew back to look at her. Gazing into her eyes, he forgot all of his inhibitions, and gently, timidly, he kissed her lips. Ami tensed, then relaxed into the kiss. When he drew back, she looked at him in confusion.  
  
"David…………."  
  
"Ami I can't hide it anymore, I have to tell you……………."  
  
Suddenly he stopped speaking, and behind him there was an explosion of red light. His eyes widened, and he fell forward into Ami's arms. She cried out and caught him, trying to support his limp body.  
  
"David?" she said nervously, and got no response. "David? Are you alright? David?!?!?!"  
  
"A…Ami……………" he groaned.  
  
Ami felt tears running down her cheeks as she looked at David's back, his clothing torn to shreds and the flesh of his back scorched and cut in a thousand places. Blood ran down his body to pool on the ground before her, staining her skirts a dull reddish-brown. Ami heard a low, malicious chuckle and raised her grief-stricken eyes. She gasped when she saw the source of the sound, and felt more tears rushing up to join the others.  
  
"No…….no this can't be……." she said haltingly, rubbing her eyes to clear them of what she wished with all her might was an illusion. But her eyes did not lie. This was horribly, terrifyingly real… 


	12. Chapter 12

1 Chapter 12  
  
Ami looked at Zoisite, who floated several feet off the ground, smiling at her with cold, wrathful eyes. They were the eyes of a stranger, not of the man she loved.  
  
"Zoisite why? Why would you do this? WHY?????" This last she practically screamed, her heart tearing in two. She had only ever loved two men, and one had just almost killed the other for no good reason. It was like a nightmare, and she willed herself to wake up, though nothing happened. Zoisite chuckled again, then began to float closer to her.  
  
"He was in my way," he said, smiling evilly. "I had to get rid of him if I as going to be able to reach you."  
  
Ami stod slowly and looked at him with eyes that now were filled with fear. "What are you talking about? Why would you attack David like that? Is this jealousy?" she asked, now beginning to feel angry. Zoisite just laughed and waved his hand, causing both Ami and David to go crashing into the wall behind them. Ami cried out in pain as she hit the wall, then slid to the ground, groaning. David, however, was eerily silent.  
  
"Now princess, what reason in the world would I have to be jealous of that pathetic human? And over you? Don't make me laugh." His mouth curved into a malicious grin as he floated over to Ami, who had begun to push herself into a siting position. She looked up and saw his approach, but was too weak to move.  
  
"What…..what are you saying….Zoisite?" she asked weakly, struggling to stand. She looked at him with tearful eyes. "Why are you doing this? Don't you love me?"  
  
He exploded in a fit of laughter. "You? Love you? How amusing." He wiped a tear from one eye, holding his aching stomach with his other hand. He looked at her then, his eyes suddenly gone hot and red, still grinning maniacally. "Amusing, but wrong all the same. I have come to destroy you."  
  
Ami felt as if she had been dropped into a bottomless pit. Her heart broke in two and she stared at Zoisite, shocked into silence. What had happened to him? Had he forgotten her? Had it been so long since they had been together that he no longer felt what he once did? Or was it that he had never really felt that at all, that he had been fooling her into believing something that wasn't true?  
  
She never had a chance to voice her thoughts, because with another gesture Zoisite sent a beam of blackness at Ami, which hit her full on. She crashed into the wall again, pinned there by the veritable wall of energy bearing down on her. She screamed in pain, feeling as if she was being crushed beneath a ton of bricks. She could almost feel her ribs breaking, her insides being crushed……..  
  
Suddenly the pressure was gone. She fell forward, half-conscious, and landed face-down on the ground. She could hardly move, and when she did it felt as if her muscles were being ripped to shreds. She moaned, forcing herself to sit up, slowly. Again the low chuckle from above, though a bit farther away now. Her mind was fuzzy, she couldn't think straight, she couldn't even see straight. Then suddenly she heard a familiar voice in her mind, one that drove away the fog and opened her eyes.  
  
*You are sailor senshi, one of the legendary guardians of this galaxy. It is your destiny to protect your planet and our universe from the dark forces. We need you………*  
  
"Queen…..Serenity……" she said weakly. "The henshin pen……." She fumbled in the small pocket at her waist and found the slender, rounded shape of the pen. Closing her fingers around it, she drew it out of the pocket and held it in front of her, looking at the star which held her planet's symbol. As she looked, she was suddenly filled with understanding, acceptance, and most importantly, energy. She felt her weakened body begin to heal as she stood up, raising the pen above her head. Even without being told what she was to do, she knew. She could feel it now, her planets natural energy, pulsing in the ground beneath her feet, flowing in the air around her, and now coursing through her body. Holding the pen above her head, it was suddenly filled with a blinding light. Zoisite cursed and threw up his arms against the light, shielding his eyes.  
  
"Blast………what is this light?" he growled, unconsciously backing away a few feet.  
  
Ami felt the light envelop her, and closed her eyes. She knew what she had to do.  
  
"Mercury Princess Power, Make Up!" she shouted, and suddenly she was spinning and twirling, becoming wrapped in ribbons of water and ice that, surprisingly, felt warm rather than cold. Then in an explosion of bubbles, she henshined into a blue and white sailor fuku, a gold tiara across her brow set with a sapphire stone. As she struck her final pose, she felt as if this was the most natural thing in the world. She felt the deities of her planet feeding their energy into her body, and she began to glow with a soft blue light, looking at Zoisite with determination.  
  
Zoisite lowered his arms tentatively and looked at the warrior who now stood where Ami had been. He looked at her in confusion, and backed away another foot when he saw the energy glowing around her body, fear visible in his eyes for a fleeting instant.  
  
"Who…..who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. Ami, now Sailor Mercury, looked at him with blazing eyes.  
  
"I am the sailor-suited pretty soldier of love and intelligence, guardian senshi of the planet Mercury, Sailor Mercury!" The glowing aura around her grew brighter as she drew even more strength from the planet. "I will never forgive you for what you have done! In the name of this planet, for the sake of all that is good, I will make you pay!!!!!" 


	13. Chapter 13

1 Chapter 13  
  
Queen Metallia sat on her throne of dark crystal, watching Zoisite's progress in her orb. She bared her fangs in a grimace when Ami henshined.  
  
"Blast, Zoisite was too late," she said, eyes blazing. "She has taken on her true identity………he will pay dearly for this failure……" She growled deep in her throat, and the remaining three generals who still knelt by her feet trembled slightly, but kept their eyes on the ground and their posture rigid. Metallia drummed her clawed fingertips on the arm of the throne, glaring into the orb.  
  
*Zoisite, do you hear me?* She said telepathically, sending the thought like a knife into Zoisite's mind. *You have failed me Zoisite.* The words grated in his mind like a rusty file on metal, and he shrunk away as if trying to escape their source. *But you still have a chance to redeem yourself. Serenity and the other senshi are as yet unaware of this new development, and if you destroy her now she will be of no threat to us. Do not fail me again Zoisite, or you will find the consequences not to your liking.* She sent him a wave of her power to augment his own, then closed off the mental connection.  
  
"Do not worry my Queen, I will not disappoint you…." Zoisite said under his breath, eyes glowing red with his new strength. He looked at Sailor Mercury who stood defiantly below him. His mouth curled into a smug grin. "Well well well, so the legends are true. There is a fifth sailor senshi."  
  
"They are indeed true. I am the fifth senshi, and you will regret that you ever laid eyes on me!" Mercury shouted, filling herself with her planet's energy. The attack formed itself in her mind, and she was granted the knowledge of how to use it. "Shabon Spray!" she shouted, flinging a wall of bubbles at him.  
  
Zoisite chuckled. "I think not…" he said, and extending his hand created a wall of blackness that dispelled the bubbles. "You'll have to do better than that to match my power!" He flung another beam of black energy at her, but this time she flipped out of the way and it hit David's desk, reducing it to splinters and shards of metal. She landed lightly in a crouch and looked up at him with eyes that burned with hurt and anger.  
  
"I don't know what has happened to you Zoisite, but I cannot allow you to go on as you are. This breaks my heart…" she said softly, standing up, "But I have no choice." Extending her arms to either side in a gesture of invocation, she called up all the power her planet had, forming a massive orb of swirling blue energy before her.  
  
Metallia gasped at what she saw in her orb. "No! This is impossible! She has only just learned to use her powers, but she is using her ultimate attack? It can't be!" She threw the orb angrily to the side, and it disappeared just before it hit the wall. She stood up and addressed the three generals.  
  
"Kunzite! Jadeite! Nephrite! Go to Zoisite and bring him back here! Even with the added strength of my own energy he will not be able to counter that attack. We cannot lose a soldier so early in the battle! GO!"  
  
"Yes, my queen," the three said in unison, and immediately disappeared. Metallia looked for a moment into the now-empty throne room, then with a flick of her wrist called up the orb once more.  
  
"I will not be defeated so easily, little girl…" she growled, gazing at the determined face of the fifth guardian senshi. 


	14. Chapter 14

1 Chapter 14  
  
Sailor Mercury had gathered all the power she could. She opened her eyes and raised her arms, lifting the immense orb of energy high over her head. Zoisite looked on, ready to counter. He raised both hands, palms facing her, and began to form twin orbs of black power in his palms.  
  
"You think one is impressive? Try two on for size!" he shouted, propelling them towards her. She looked at him, undeterred, and said softly "I'm sorry, my love…", a single tear rolling slowly down her cheek. Then, with a strangled yell, she flung her own orb of power at him, sending it careening into the two black ones. It dissolved them on contact, and continued on its course towards Zoisite. He gasped and froze, unsure of what to do.  
  
"No….NO! I won't be defeated by the likes of you! I won't fail my queen again! NO!!!!!!!!!!" He threw up his hands in a pathetic attempt of defending himself. The orb crashed into him, enveloping him for an instant, then exploding, propelling him into the wall behind him. He hit it with a dreadful thud, then fell to the ground in a motionless heap. For an instant there was nothing but silence, then Ami dehenshined from weakness. With a little cry she ran over to the fallen form of Zoisite and turned his body over. She touched his face, the skin already growing cold under her fingers. She kissed his forehead gently, a tear from her own eye falling on his, then stood up, looking down at her lost love. She knew what she was right in what she had done, but her heart broke all the same.  
  
Suddenly the three generals appeared in the air, glaring down at their fallen comrade. Kunzite sighed.  
  
"I suppose we have no choice but to bring him back…….the Queen will want to revive him and punish him for is failure. Frankly I don't blame her…….such a disgrace to the Queen's cause….." he said with disgust. Ami looked up at the voice, and her eyes widened.  
  
"No…..not you too…….." she said, her heart heavy. "What has happened to all of you?"  
  
Kunzite ignored her and drifted down to scoop up Zoisite's lifeless body into his arms. As he returned to his partners he looked at her with cold eyes, eyes that seemed to see right through her into her soul. He spoke only once, his voice full of contempt.  
  
"Perhaps you have won once. But such errors will not be made again. Continue to fight us, and you will die. That is a promise." With that, the three generals disappeared with their burden, leaving Ami standing alone and trembling, staring after them with new eyes.  
  
For a moment the room was silent. Then Ami heard a weak voice from the corner, calling her name.  
  
"Ami……….Ami…….." David called, barely able to control his mouth to say the words. "Ami, please…………"  
  
"Oh no, David…….." Ami said softly, running over to him. She had nearly forgotten her friend in the midst of the battle. Kneeling down beside him, she slipped an arm beneath his shoulders and lifted him into a half-sitting position, supporting his head on her shoulder. She looked down at him, grief overwhelming her. "David……..oh David I am so sorry about all this….you're going to be fine, I promise…."  
  
He looked up at her, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Ami…….I…..I should have told you…….I love you Ami……I was just afraid to tell you……..I knew you loved…him……I……I just wanted….." His words were cut off by a fit of coughing, a sign that his lungs were failing. Ami felt tears well up in her eyes as she looked down at the man she now realized she was truly in love with. But now……now it was too late…….  
  
"David…..you can't leave me….." she said, weeping softly. "Please, stay with me…….I need you…."  
  
He reached up with a trembling hand and gently brushed her long hair back from her face, pushing it behind her ears. He ran his fingers through the length of it, slowly. "Your hair is so soft……..beautiful…..I've always loved it….the way it frames your face………….the way it falls down your back…….like a waterfall……so…..beautiful…….." His hand fell away, hanging at his side limply, and his eyes closed slowly for the last time.  
  
"David? David, answer me……no, David you're going to be fine, I'll heal you, we'll find a doctor, only please don't leave me!!!" Ami cried, weeping bitterly. "Oh please………..don't leave………I love you…….." She trailed off, sobbing and leaning over David's lifeless body, her tears falling on his eyelids and running down his face, making it seem as if he, too, wept. 


	15. Chapter 15

1 Chapter 15  
  
The four princesses sat in a worried huddle in the palace on the moon, watching Ami anxiously. She hadn't moved for hours, and hadn't spoken since they had brought her here. She just sat in a chair by the window, gazing out at the Moon Kingdom, watching the light fade as nighttime drew near.  
  
"This is horrible…" Minako whispered to the others, who reluctantly tore their eyes away from their bereaved friend and looked at her. "I feel just awful. As if she wasn't under enough stress to begin with, but this…."  
  
"Not to mention the way she found out about being a senshi…" Makoto added grimly, and the others nodded. "She must thing we betrayed her, keeping the truth from her the way we did."  
  
"But we had no choice…" Rei retorted.  
  
"It doesn't matter, she is our friend and friends are never dishonest with each other," interjected Serenity. Rei started to protest, but she held up a hand. "I know we were instructed not to say anything, but we should have known this was coming."  
  
Rei sighed. "I know. I should have foreseen this…..what good is it to be a psychic if I can't protect my friends from this kind of pain…" she clenched her fists in frustration and closed her eyes against angry tears. Minako touched her arm gently and Serenity put a comforting arm around her shoulders.  
  
"It isn't your fault Rei," she said softly, squeezing her shoulders gently. She sighed. "We all should have realized it. And we should have told her about David….that was another mistake. She didn't find out until it was too late….." They all fell silent, thinking.  
  
"Poor Ami……." Minako said, summarizing what they all were thinking. "I wish there was something we could do……"  
  
Just then Queen Serenity entered the room. She stopped a few steps into the room, looking at Ami sadly. Then she walked over to join the four friends, her eyes slightly red from crying. She sat down next to her daughter, who slipped touched her mother's hand and looked at her anxiously.  
  
"Mama……are you alright?" she asked, the worry evident in her voice. The Queen sighed.  
  
"Yes darling I am alright….." she said sadly, patting her daughter's hand reassuringly. "David was very dear to me. He was almost like a son to Ami's parents before they died, and so he became almost like a nephew to me. It is a terrible thing, what has happened." She closed her eyes, fighting to retain her composure. "And what is worst of all is that I didn't see it coming. None of us did. I should have guessed what Metallia was up to, I should have known what she was plotting…" she trailed off, squeezing her daughter's hand.  
  
"Mama there was nothing you could have done," Serenity said, squeezing back. "At least we found her before anything else happened. She was so disoriented from grief and pain when we found her…..I don't know what she might have done if we hadn't gotten there when we did." The others nodded solemnly, remembering how Ami had looked when they had arrived on Mercury after Hope's energy scanner had picked up the strange energy fluctuations there. At first she had been dazed and silent, as if in shock. She didn't answer them when they spoke to her, only clung to David's lifeless body and rocked it back and forth as if he were only sleeping. Only when they had tried to take him from her had she come out of her stupor, and then she began crying hysterically and shaking uncontrollably. It had taken all of them to calm her down enough so that she could speak coherently and tell them what had happened. And after finding out what had happened to the generals from earth, their beloved suitors, they had all been in pretty bad shape.  
  
"But it isn't only that….." the Queen said, shaking her head. "I will never forgive myself for ordering Prince Endymion to send his generals to the rebel planet. That was the most ill-planned decision I have ever made. I should have known better than to have him send his strongest warriors there. Now not only does Beryl have four new and extremely powerful allies, but we have lost four of our own."  
  
The four princesses bowed their heads, tears in more than one pair of eyes. For a moment no one spoke, the princesses mourning their lost loves in silence. Then Minako looked up, smiling despite the tears running down her cheeks.  
  
"We will get them back, somehow," she said, reaching across and resting her hand on theirs. "At least they are still alive. There is still a chance that they may be brought back to us….."  
  
Makoto and Rei nodded and, wiping the tears from their eyes, reached out to join hands with the others. They smiled at each other sadly, drawing comfort from each other's presence, and from the knowledge that they were not alone in their suffering. Then Queen Serenity looked back over at Ami, and the others followed her gaze.  
  
"It is she whom I am most worried about," she said. "The rest of us will overcome this in time, but she has undergone the shock of learning her true identity and lost two people whom she loved dearly all in less than twelve hours. She's such a soft-hearted, sensitive young woman…..this must have broken her heart…"  
  
"It hasn't just been broken Mama," Serenity said softly, watching her friend's face. "It's been shattered. Just look at her face, her eyes. She's devastated. She may never be the same again…"  
  
The Queen sighed. "I know…and the worst thing of all is that this battle isn't over yet. Metallia is still on that planet, plotting her next attack, and we need Ami's power as a senshi to defeat her. Its going to be harder now, because she drained almost half of Mercury's natural energy when she used that attack. She was too inexperienced to use it properly, she hadn't learned yet how to control the energy flow. So much of her energy has been wasted, and most of what she used will never replenish itself, not now. She will never reach the level of strength she might have otherwise. Faith and Hope can train her just as they did you four, but it won't make much difference. Her powers as a senshi will never be what yours are."  
  
Serenity looked at her mother sadly, then a look of determination came over her face. "It doesn't matter. We will win because we have to, for the future of our world. There is no other choice." Then she looked over at Ami once more, and stood up. "But right now Ami needs us as friends, and I am going to do everything I can to help her."  
  
The others nodded and stood up, and the four friends walked over to Ami. The Queen remained behind, watching her daughter and the four girls who had become as daughters to her with pride. Her daughter was wise beyond her years, though she did not often show it. She was right, they would be victorious, because as long as they were together as a team they would draw strength from each other and from their friendship, the most powerful weapon of all. Despite her grief, Queen Serenity was comforted by the thought, and her heart felt peaceful in the knowledge that her daughter and her friends would keep their universe safe. 


	16. Chapter 16

1 Chapter 16  
  
The four princesses approached their friend quietly, and surrounded her chair. Serenity knelt next to her and touched her arm gently. Ami turned her grief-stricken eyes to look at her friend, and slowly lifted her hand to rest it on Serenity's. Minako and Rei sat at Ami's feet, and Makoto stood behind her, placing her hands on her shoulders supportively. Ami looked around at all of them, a bit confused.  
  
"Ami, are you alright? Do you need to talk? Because we are here to listen if you do." Serenity said, squeezing her arm gently. Ami smiled sadly.  
  
"Yes I…….I will be alright…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She returned her gaze to the window, breathing a deep, heavy sigh. "I…..I just wish I had known……I wish I had known everything sooner……maybe things would be different now….." she closed her eyes and bit her lip as a tear ran down her cheek, then another and another. The four girls looked at one another worriedly, then Minako raised herself up onto her knees and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Ami's shoulders in a hug. Ami slowly put her arms around Minako and buried her face in her shoulder, sobbing. Rei, Makoto, and Serenity each put their arms around their distressed friend and held her gently as she let out all the pain in her heart. Her shoulders shook even under her friends' comforting embrace, her tears soaking Minako's hair.  
  
"Why…." She said softly through her tears. "Why David? Why all of them?" She clung to her friends tighter, who just held her silently. "Why did it take me so long to realize it? Why did he have to die for me to understand??" Her words dissolved into uncontrollable sobs and she gave up speaking, giving in fully to the weight of her grief. Serenity pressed her cheek against Ami's hair, stroking it with her free hand.  
  
"I'm so sorry my friend…" she said softly. "We should have told you…I……I wish there was a way to bring him back for you… I wish I could take all this pain away from you and bear it myself…" She squeezed Ami tightly, looking at her other three friends. They held her silently for some time, letting her cry and offering wordless support and love.  
  
Then Ami began to calm down a bit, and she gently pushed her friends away, wiping her eyes. They looked at her worriedly, and Minako reached out to hold her hand.  
  
"Ami…….I know how much you must be hurting right now…and the pain may never fully go away. But if you ever need to talk, or if you need to get away for awhile, or if you just need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be here." She said, looking at her earnestly.  
  
"As will I," said Rei  
  
"And I," said Makoto  
  
"We all will," said Serenity, resting her hand on top of Minako's, Rei and Makoto doing the same. "Just let us know, and we'll be there whenever you need us. We love you Ami, you are a dear friend, and when you hurt then we do too." She turned Ami's face towards her and looked into her eyes, smiling slightly. "I know you would do the same for us, were we in the same situation. That is what friends are for. And we will be here for you no matter what, forever."  
  
Ami looked back at Serenity, then at each of her friends, who smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Slowly, a smile spread over her face, and she squeezed back. Wiping the last of her tears from her eyes, she hugged them all, her grief forgotten for an instant as the love of her friends washed over her.  
  
"Thank you, everyone….." she said softly, and pulled back to look at each of them in turn. "I don't know what I'd do without you……"  
  
Serenity put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently, leaning her head against Ami's. "It doesn't matter Ami, because you will never be without us. That's a promise." The others nodded, Rei and Minako leaning against her knees and Makoto wrapping her arms around her neck and leaning down to rest her head on her shoulder. Ami smiled and touched each of her friends gently, telling them without words how grateful she was to have them, and returning the promise.  
  
Queen Serenity stood up from her chair and quietly left the room, leaving the five princesses to themselves, knowing they needed each other more than anything else at the moment. Smiling to herself, she headed to the strategy room to plan with Hope and Faith their attack against Metallia. Somehow she knew that they would be ready for it sooner than they thought.  
  
Ami stood up from her chair and her friends followed. Serenity hugged her briefly, then with a squeeze drew back, her expression once again a solemn one.  
  
"Are you going to be alright?" she asked, looking into her friend's eyes. Ami smiled and squeezed Serenity's shoulders.  
  
"It is going to take time," she said "But I think I will be alright, as long as I have you guys." She smiled at each of her friends, and they returned the gesture.  
  
"We'll always be here Ami, no matter what." Makoto said.  
  
"I know, and I can never thank you enough for that." Ami sighed "Right now though, I really just want to go home and go to bed. I am exhausted……"  
  
Serenity chuckled, the put an arm around her friend's shoulders and led her out of the room, Rei, Minako, and Makoto close behind. "Alright, I'll ask Faith to find a transport for you that will take you home. Will you be alright alone tonight though?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I think I'll be fine," Ami replied, not really believing her own words.. "I am going to have to get used to it now…" 


	17. Chapter 17

1 Chapter 17  
  
Ami wandered through her palace, her steps echoing in the empty hallways. Her servants wouldn't return until the morning, so for the first time in her life she was truly alone. She had never noticed just how vast and empty the palace was….with David around it had always felt warm and cozy. She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered, the thought calling forth another wave of grief. It washed over her and she fought back the tears that threatened to spill over and continued pacing the halls. She walked into the study, the room cold and dark without the usual homey fire burning on the hearth. She walked around the edge of the room, running her hand over the wall as she went. When she reached the mantel over the fireplace she stopped, looking at the portrait of her parents which hung above it. They looked as regal as always, and the prodigy who had painted it had created life in their eyes. Whenever she looked at it, she had the uncanny feeling that wherever they were they could see her and were smiling down on her. The thought was a comfort to her always, and she came here often to consult her parents for advice. They never answered her, but really that was not what mattered to her. What mattered was that she knew they were listening, as she knew they were now. She could almost feel their presence around her, and she closed her eyes. Softly, she began to speak.  
  
"Mother……father…….I must ask you……why did you never tell me? Why did you let all this happen? You must have known about all this…." She opened her eyes and looked directly at her parents' faces on the canvas. "I remember…..when I was young you used to consult Rei's mother often….she could predict the future, much like Rei herself often can…..in all the times that she read your future, she never once saw this? I refuse to believe that!" This last she shouted, glaring at her parents' faces with eyes full of tears. She breathed deep for a moment, then took a step back, not letting herself lower her eyes. She spoke only a single word, softly, but with such pain that the painted faces on the canvas almost winced.  
  
"Why?"  
  
She lowered her eyes, and her shoulders shook as she let fall the tears she had been holding back since she arrived. The room was silent except for the heartbreaking sound of her weeping. She hadn't expected an answer from them, not really. She never did, and until now it hadn't mattered. But she had hoped……maybe this once……they would emerge from the painting as she had dreamt they would so many times, and somehow give her even a little piece of their wisdom and knowledge, make her understand why all of this had to happen. But deep down she knew this time would be no different. She would pour her heart out to them and be met only with empty stares. She had known it, so why did it still hurt her so much?  
  
She turned away from her parent's ethereal gaze and walked slowly out of the room, her shoulders slumped in despair. She walked the rest of the way to her bed chamber in silence, not thinking or feeling anything, her body, mind, and soul suddenly numb. She felt cold and lost, as if she were trapped underwater in a frozen lake and couldn't swim. She felt herself sink deeper and deeper…….once again she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.  
  
Finally she reached the door, and slowly she turned the handle and opened it. Standing motionless in the doorway, she surveyed the room beyond. Her eyes ran over the large canopy bed, covered in soft pillows and thick, warm blankets; her bookshelf, full of novels and works of science and philosophy; the grand picture-window, framed by the soft white chiffon curtains; the dark wood armoir in the corner, and next to it a desk with a large oval mirror above it, the surface covered with makeup, bottles of perfume, and hair accessories; the pale blue shag carpet, soft and springy beneath her feet; all these things which had once been a familiar source of comfort to her, now felt alien and strange. She realized now that her palace had only felt like home because David made it so. His presence had been such a ray of light in her life, his smile able to cheer her on her darkest days, his tenderness a comfort when she was sad or lonely……without him it all felt so….empty…..  
  
She walked over to the desk and pulled out the cushioned chair, sinking into it wearily. She looked at herself in the mirror, studying the person she saw there. She raised a hand to her face, running her fingers lightly over her forehead, her cheekbones, her lips. She looked herself in the eye and could see nothing there but the hazy blue of her irises and the vacant blackness in her pupils. There was nothing memorable about this face, no great beauty. How could David have fallen in love with anyone as ordinary as she?  
  
She reached her hands behind her head and drew her long deep blue hair over her shoulder. It fell like trickles of ocean water, catching the light in shiny ribbons. She ran her fingers through it, slowly.  
  
~~~David's face, tear-streaked and dirty. He looked at her with an expression of grief etched on his face. His laughing brown eyes had lost their warmth, and were filled with despair. He reached a shaking hand up to touch her face, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. Sighing, he ran his trembling fingers through it, almost caressing it.  
  
"Your hair is so soft……..beautiful…..I've always loved it….the way it frames your face………….the way it falls down your back…….like a waterfall……so…..beautiful…….." he said softly, his hand falling limply to his chest. His eyes closed, as if in sleep, but it wasn't sleep at all……..~~~  
  
A tear traced a path down Ami's cheek. So that had been it. That was what had made him fall in love with her…..she drew her eyes away from the reflection in the mirror and looked down at the desk top. Her eyes passed slowly over the objects that lay there, until they spotted a pair of silver shears lying next to a bottle of rose-scent. She reached out a trembling hand and picked them up. She slipped her finger and thumb through the holes and snipped the air slowly, turning the blades this way and that, letting them reflect the light in blinding whiteness. Looking once again at her reflection, she was struck with sudden resolve. She held up the shears and opened them, bringing them towards her hair, eyes closed against tears of sorrow…..  
  
*Ami wait……* 


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
  
Her eyes snapped open. The hand holding the scissors fell away as she whipped her head around. She had heard it. It was his voice, she was sure of it. She couldn't have imagined it….could she?  
  
*No Ami you didn't…….* came the voice again, sounding amused, as if its owner had read her mind.. She turned, and the air in front of the large picture-window began to shimmer and dance with some strange light. The curtains framing the window billowed in an unseen wind, as the air began to take on a shape. *I don't think you are that far gone yet….* A familiar face framed by dark hair emerged from the air, followed by a tall, lean male body clad in David's signature crushed velvet tunic and breeches and silk vest, all a deep blue the same color as her hair. He smiled at her, chuckling at the shocked expression on her face.  
  
*Don't look so surprised* he said as she slowly rose from her chair, never taking her eyes off of him, as if she half-expected him to disappear if she did. *Did you really think I'd leave without properly saying goodbye?*  
  
Ami finally found her tongue and stuttered nervously. "D-David? I-is that r- really y-you?" she asked, stepping forward.  
  
*Of course it is, silly girl,* he replied, grinning. *Could anyone else wear this outfit so nicely?*  
  
A smile spread slowly over Ami's face, tears of happiness overflowing down her cheeks. "You….you're alive! Oh David……" she said, running to him to catch him in an embrace. But when she tried, her arms passed through him as if there was nothing there but air. She cried out and looked up at him with wide eyes, her smile of joy gone.  
  
*Nay love, I am not I'm afraid,* he said softly. *I only wish I was.*  
  
She studied his face intently, and her face fell when she realized he was telling the truth. It was then that she realized that his mouth wasn't moving when he talked. She looked at him quizzically.  
  
"David…….how….." she began.  
  
*I am speaking directly into your mind,* he said, tracing her thought patterns. *Spirits can do this sort of thing you know, and it's really much simpler this way.*  
  
Ami dropped her eyes, a tear running down her cheek. "Then you really are dead…." she said softly, her voice trembling. David was silent for a moment, then somehow touched her cheek with his intangible fingers and raised her face to meet her eyes with his own. Ami was taken aback; even in death, his eyes seemed full of life and laughter.  
  
*Perhaps my body is dead, but not my soul,* he said with conviction, looking deep into her eyes. *I may no longer inhabit the realm of the living, but I exist nonetheless. I live in your mind, your dreams……and in your heart. That is, as long as you remember me…*  
  
"David how could I ever forget you?" Ami said. "I'll always think of you…..and love you."  
  
*Good,* he said, then his face became serious. *Ami, I…….I'm sorry I never told you. I was just afraid……..* he turned his face away for an instant, closing his eyes. When he looked at her again, his eyes were full of a mixture of love and pain. *I couldn't bear it that you were in love with Zoisite and not me, and it would have broken my heart if I had told you and you had rejected me,*  
  
"But it broke your heart anyway…" Ami said softly.  
  
David closed his eyes. *Yes, it did. It was stupid of me. I was only a coward, and I realize that now.*  
  
Ami shook her head. "No David you aren't a coward……I think if I were in your position I would have done the same thing…." she said.  
  
David opened his eyes and looked at her earnestly. *I only wanted you to be happy, Ami……and I didn't think I could make you happy, not the way Zoisite could.*  
  
Ami dropped her eyes, pained by his words. "To be honest David, I didn't think you could either….." She paused, then looked up at him. "But I was wrong David, I know that now! It was you I loved all along……" She trailed off, her expression becoming one of despair. "But now its too late…." She said softly.  
  
*No, no love, its not too late!* David said joyfully, smiling at her. *Whether I live or not, the love we share will!* He raised a hand and it became solid, so that he could brush her hair behind her ear and caress her cheek gently, looking into her eyes. *Don't you see? Love surpasses all things, even death. Though I may not be here physically, though you may not be able to touch me or hold me or kiss me, you can still think of me and love me.* He smiled at her. *I love you Ami, with all my heart. And though I must dwell in another universe now, my heart is with yours, as it will always be.*  
  
Ami smiled back, her eyes glistening with joyful tears. "Oh David………..I love you……." 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
  
Somewhere, beyond the realm of mortals, someone……no, two someones….smiled down on the lovers, then looked at each other.  
  
I think we owe it to them…… said Ami's mother. Her husband nodded beside her, and the two joined hands and closed their eyes. Back in the mortal world, David began to glow with a soft white light. Ami stepped back a pace and looked at him with wonder. He looked down at his hands, and his eyes widened as they took on substance, becoming flesh and bone. He could almost feel his heart beating again. He looked at Ami, and their eyes met. Then a voice, deep and regal, broke the silence.  
  
"Beloved children……." The voice began, "This is our gift to you, to make amends for the suffering we have caused you both. Your love for one another will traverse time and space, it is true, but it is unfair and unjust that you, so young, should be denied your time together as lovers. And so we grant you this wish that is in both your hearts, and give you, David, another moment in the mortal world."  
  
David gasped. There was no mistaking it this time: his heart was beating. He smiled joyfully at Ami as the light around him disappeared, and opened his arms to her. A cry of joy passed her lips as she ran to him and practically leapt into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face in his shoulder, holding onto him tightly. He rested his cheek against her hair, stroking it gently with one hand.  
  
"Ami…" he said softly, aloud this time rather than into her mind. She drew back and looked at him, an expression of sheer joy transfiguring her face into one of light and beauty. "You know this is not forever. I only have a moment before I must leave you again…."  
  
Ami pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "I don't care," she said softly, caressing his cheek. "At least I have this one last moment with you…….this is all I need."  
  
David smiled at her, running his fingers through her hair, then holding her face in his hands. "I've dreamt of holding you like this for so long……I can be at rest now……..I love you, Ami,"  
  
"And I you, my love…" she replied softly, and he drew her close, kissing her passionately. The moment seemed to last forever, and perhaps it did. But finally David began to fade away, his body once again becoming airy and intangible. Her drew back from the kiss, and saw a tear running down Ami's cheek as she looked at him adoringly, her eyes shining. He reached up and caught it with his finger, and holding her shoulders gently, he kissed her forehead lightly as she closed her eyes. The kiss lingered long after David returned to the air, and when she opened them again the room was empty once more. He was gone.  
  
*I will never be gone, Ami, not really….* his voice said into her mind once more. *If you ever need me, I will return to you my love.* Suddenly the air before her began dancing once more, and in a flash of light a beautiful silver locket appeared in front of her. She reached out and closed her fingers around it, and plucked it out of the air. She opened it and saw a picture of David on one side, smiling at her as if it were alive. *Just hold this and call to me with you heart, and I will be with you. I promise.* he said, and Ami held the locket close to her heart, turning her face heavenward and closing her eyes as a gentle breeze kissed her cheek. *I love you, my darling Ami……..* he said, his voice fading into the depths of her mind. The breeze left and she opened her eyes. Looking down at the locket, she gasped as a second picture appeared in the other side, somehow captured in their last moment together, gazing at each other lovingly. She smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek.  
  
"Farewell my love," she said softly, and closed the locket. 


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Ami placed the locket on a small table by her bed, propping it up so that it would stand open for her to look at whenever she wanted, or to use if need be. Sitting down at her desk, she looked again at her reflection in the mirror. This time, she tried to see herself the way David must see her, and she smiled. Great beauty or not, he loved her, and that was all that mattered.  
  
Once again she pulled her long hair over her shoulder. She ran her fingers through it thoughtfully, then looked down at the desk top and picked up the silver shears once more. She held them in front of her face, looking at them and thinking. Then, with a nod of conviction, she began to cut away the long hair David had loved so much. It fell in shining streams to the floor, and before long the mirror reflected a new face to match her new confidence in herself. She smiled at the image, satisfied. Bending over, she picked up a small bundle of her soft hair and ran her fingertips over it gently. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a white hair ribbon and tied it around the strands of hair. Standing, she walked over to the table where David's locket was displayed and laid the hair in front of it in a modest offering to the one she loved.  
  
"David, I know you loved my long hair but, well, I think I was time for a change," she said, looking at his picture. "I'd heard of women giving their lovers bits of their hair as a sort of keepsake……but since I can't really do that I suppose this will have to do." She turned away and walked towards the large window and drew back the curtains to look out upon her beautiful kingdom. The evening was clear, and by the light of the moon she could see the shore of Mercury's vast ocean on the outskirts of the city, icebergs floating just offshore and sharp outcroppings of ice jutting out from the shoreline. She smiled. This was her home, her kingdom, and she would keep it safe however she had to. Her henshin pen sat on the windowsill. She picked it up and looked at it, turning it over and over in her hands. Just touching it, she could feel Mercury's energy coursing through her. Holding it high, she shouted "Mercury Princess Power!" and henshined into what she now knew to be her true form, Sailor Mercury. Looking down at her senshi fuku, she smiled. She returned her gaze to the city beyond the window, pressing her palm against the glass. She could feel David's presence even now, could feel his hand, a warm comfort, resting on her shoulder, and could feel her parents looking down on her with pride. She smiled and lifted her chin slightly, in that instant taking on both the nobility of her mother and the determination of her father. She bore the look of a warrior, a true soldier, her heart finally free of fears and inhibitions.  
  
'I am the fifth of the legendary sailor senshi, champion of love, justice, and intelligence, protector of Mercury and guardian of the universe. I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, in the name of all that is good. I am Sailor Mercury, and I will make it on my own!' 


End file.
